Effects of Meglumine Antimoniate Treatment on Cytokine Production in a Patient with Mucosal Leishmaniasis and Chagas Diseases Co-Infection

• Main Authors: Karine Rezende-Oliveira, Cesar Gómez-Hernández, Marcos Vinícius da Silva, Rafael Faria de Oliveira, Juliana Reis Machado, Luciana de Almeida Silva Teixeira, Lúcio Roberto Cançado Castellano, Dalmo Correia, Virmondes Rodrigues
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease
• Subjects: mucosal leishmaniasis; Chagas disease; co-infection; antimoniate therapy
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/5/2/69

The influence of antimoniate treatment on specific anti-protozoan T-cell responses was evaluated in a 48-year-old male patient diagnosed with mucosal leishmaniasis and Chagas disease infection. Before and after treatment, PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) were cultured in the absence or presence of <i>Leishmania braziliensis</i> or <i>Trypanosoma cruzi</i> live parasites, their soluble antigens, or PHA (phytohaemagglutinin). Cytokines were measured and Treg (T regulatory) cell percentages were quantified. Before treatment, PBMC were able to produce higher amounts of TNF-α, IL-6 (Interleukin-6), and IL-10 (Interleukin-10) but lower amounts of IL-12 (Interleukin-12) in response to culture stimulation. However, after treatment, there was a down-modulation of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 cytokines but an up-modulation in IL-12 production. PBMC had the ability to produce TNF-α only against live parasites or PHA. There was an overall decrease of circulating Treg cells after treatment. In mixed Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease infection, treatment with antimoniate could modulate immune responses toward a more protective profile to both diseases.